Degrassi Zoe and Grace Fanfiction
by Venick8
Summary: Seeing as I did not like the way that the writers ended yet another lesbian romance, I thought that I would give my imagination a go and create my own version of how the Zoe and Grace story line should have gone.
1. Chapter 1: Summer School

Chapter 1:

Summer school

Summer school, how on earth had she wound up here? Zoe thought to herself as she walked into Degrassi High on the first official day of what should have been her summer break. While she knew she wasn't exactly the academic type, she also knew that she had indeed handed in the majority of her assignments and had at least received a couple Cs on her science labs, which had left her mystified as to how she had failed the class and wound up here, in summer school. Though Math wasn't exactly her strong suit either so maybe she hadn't calculated her average correctly after all.

"Hey girl, fancy seeing you here" Tristan joked as he came up behind Zoe in the hallway.  
"Haha I had absolutely no idea that I was going to see you here. It's not like you actually payed attention to anything other than Miles last semester." Zoe answered sarcastically with a cheeky smile softening the statement a little.  
"Oh you're just jealous, when was the last time you had any man candy?" Tristan said with a wink as they entered the chemistry classroom a few moments before the school bell rang.

"Hi everyone, sorry for my tardiness, I am Mr Bane, I will be your teacher for the summer." said a rather awkward and slender looking man as he walked into the classroom and placed his belongings beside the sink and the Bunsen burner situated on the counter at the front of the classroom.  
"Have a seat now everyone. Seeing as this is summer school, I understand that most of you are retaking this class which is why I see it fitting to assign a few topics that I would like you all to brush up on before next class. In the spirit of being generous seeing as this is the very first day, I will give you the whole period to begin brushing up on these and will allow you to work in pairs." said .

At the mention of working in pairs, Zoe's eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on Tristan, but to her dismay, instead of being greeted by a look of excitement she was greeted by an apologetic one.  
"Sorry Zoe, I actually really need to pass this class so I thought that partnering up with Hunter would be a better idea...I mean he is fast tracking this class after all. I think Grace still needs a partner, you should go with her….I hear that she is very intelligent with all this science stuff." Tristan announced.  
"Uhg fine but if I end up covered in vampire bites or whatever I'm going to hold you partially responsible and when I turn into said vampire you'll be on my hit list." Replied Zoe.  
"You do know that she's only punk or whatever right?" Tristan asked with s puzzled look etched on his face as he walked towards the other side of the classroom to join Hunter.  
Zoe then rushed over to where Grace was seated.  
"Hey you..., so I was wondering if you'd want to be my partner." Zoe inquired.  
" Why? So you can just cheat off of my work?" Replied Grace incredulously.  
" No, so that we can actually get to know one another and just so happen to be learning science at the same time." Zoe exclaimed with a wide grin. I hope she's buying this….is she buying this….she hasn't said anything yet, what if I seemed too fake….Zoe thought to herself.  
"Well so long as you promise not to be using me for my work them I suppose we can be partners." Grace replied whilst her lips curved into a semi smile which she tried her best to hide from Zoe as to not seem too overly excited about being partnered up with the brunette bombshell.

Oh my God she said yes! She actually said yes! I am so going to pass this class! Thank you Grace and your beautiful mind! Wait beautiful….why did I say beautiful? How can a mind be beautiful? Zoe thought to herself until her inner ramblings were brought to a halt as placed their assignment in front of them.


	2. Chapter 2: The Assignment

Chapter 2: The Assignment

"The assignment is to be handed in at the beginning of tomorrow's class and I expect stellar results seeing as this will count for 5% of your overall grade. Now hop to it." Said .

"Question 4. _What force controls the movement of the planets?_ " Zoe read.

"I'm not going to answer every question for you." Replied Grace whilst rolling her eyes.

"I know that." Zoe said sheepishly.

"So answer one, any question!" Grace said clearly beginning to get aggravated with her so called science partner, which wasn't being much of a partner at the moment. As silence fell over them it became clear to Grace that Zoe had no intention of actually answering any of the questions found on the assignment. "As I suspected. Cool!" Grace sighed and began to collect her things intending on leaving Zoe to complete her own assignment. There was no reason why she ought to be forced to practically do the work for her, she does have a brain of her own. Zoe had clearly been lying to her when she had told her that she was going to pull her own weight Grace thought to herself.

"Wait! Well what am I supposed to do?" Zoe inquired with a rather frightened look upon her face.

"Learn science." Grace replied.

"When it comes to these big concepts, I'm just lost." Said Zoe.

"Lost in what? You don't even try!" Grace shot back with clear annoyance in her tone.

"I already failed this class once. I know I don't get it." Replied Zoe

"Or you know that if you never really try, you'll never truly have to find out if you're an idiot." Replied Grace snarkily.

"I just want to pass." Zoe said now with big puppy dog eyes.

How could anyone not fall for those big beautiful brown orbs looking directly at you as though they thought you were the most interesting person in the world? Grace thought to herself as a smile somewhat began to form at the corners of her mouth.

"Fine I'll help you, but on one condition, you need to actually try." Grace proposed.

"I promise I will do better, please just help me pass. Pretty please with a cherry on top." Replied Zoe.

Not long after having agreed to actually try, Zoe was startled by the sound of the school bell ringing yet again, announcing the end of the period which, seeing as they were in summer school signified the end of the school day.

Hearing that beautiful, yet oddly startling chime of the school bell was all Zoe had wanted. With that glorious ringing, she would get to leave the confines of the school and get to retreat to her favorite spot. Ahh the Coffee Shop…..could there ever be something as sacred, magnificent and of so delicious as coffee? Zoe thought to herself before being snapped out of her coffee ridden day dream.

"So we should work on this now before going home. I think if we are lucky we could be done within the next hour or two seeing as we have already answered three out of the seven questions and now we would be lacking the distractions." Said Grace.

"Great idea but first coffee." Replied Zoe still looking awfully in a daze.

"Okay deal but, we should bring our work with us and do it at the Dot as to get it over with as fast as possible." Suggested Grace.

"Okay, fine miss slave driver…..well I guess if I have coffee it's not entirely slavery" replied Zoe as she got up, collected her things and bopped Grace on the nose as she began walking out of the classroom.

Uhm what was that? Why did she touch my nose? Her hands did smell really nice though, like cherries almost Grace thought as a small smile began to force its way onto her lips. Looking up again Grace noticed that the feisty brunette had all but disappeared which prompted her to quickly collect her things and rush out of the door after her.

After a very short car ride, for which Zoe had insisted on driving them to their destination, they had arrived at the Dot. It was a quaint little shop, which didn't offer too much as far as food was concerned but they did serve a mean cup a coffee which Grace didn't mind indulging in every now and then.

"Would you like anything?" Zoe asked as she looked up at the coffee menu.

"I think so, I'm leaning towards either a caramel latte or a regular cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars" replied Grace.

"Two large caramel lattes please with soy milk for mine and extra whipped topping on each. Oh and two double chocolate brownies please." Ordered Zoe

"I uhhm ordered for you, I hope that's okay… I know you hadn't yet decided exactly what you wanted but I've tried both from here and their caramel lattes are to die for, so I just thought that you should definitely get one and their brownies are very delicious as well and I was kind of hoping that this could be my very own way of thanking you for having answered the first three questions of our assignment and for not having entirely given up on me yet even though you found out the awful truth that I am dumb …" Zoe said looking down at her feet.

Zoe Rivas looking down at her own feet as if she was actually a little nervous or embarrassed…now I have seen it all. Zoe was never one to ever look embarrassed about anything….like ever, I supposed that that's what came with being head cheerleader and essentially being idolized by the majority of the girls in the school and wanted by the majority of the guys as well. Yet, here she was, looking kind of nervous….king of shy….kind of cute….. Grace thought to herself or so she thought as she ogled the nervous little brunette standing in front of her.

"Uhm did you just call me cute?" Zoe asked looking slightly aback.

"Oh God was that out loud? I meant to say that your mannerisms were cute….as in the fact that you look nervous about buying me a coffee. You're never nervous….."Replied Grace, desperately trying to recover what little dignity and pride she felt she had left after having let the fact that she thought that Zoe was cute. "Thanks for the coffee by the way and the brownie. I hope for your sake that both are as delicious as you have promised because I am quite the brownie connoisseur" Said Grace as she grabbed her coffee and brownie from Zoe's hands and walked over to one of the booths situated near the window sill.

A brownie connoisseur? Who says that? God why are you so nervous all of the sudden….? I wonder if she can tell? Grace wondered.

Unbeknownst to her, during her inner debate Zoe had been looking at her, noticing the slight rosy colour which had begun to paint her cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3: The Grade

Chapter 3: The Grade

Having completed and handed in their first assignment, Zoe and Grace were now able to relax a little seeing as their second assignment wasn't due for yet another week. Much to her surprise, Zoe had actually completed the rest of the assignment with little help from Grace and had actually been very surprised with what she actually already knew off the top of her head without having to seek guidance via the inter webs.

The rest of the week continued as such, with Zoe being surprised with how well she felt she was doing and with Grace reinforcing Zoe's new found science confidence, all the while doing exceptionally well herself. Once one could overlook Grace's rebel exterior they would discover that she was rather well put together; polite, tidy, hard working and not to mention a complete genius, at least from what Zoe could tell, she was exceptionally gifted in the science department.

It was now Friday afternoon and had set some time aside towards the end of the period to redistribute the corrected assignments, for which half of the class awaited with bated breaths, Zoe evidently being part of that half.

Oh God what if I don't pass? What if Grace thinks that I'm actually stupid? What if she refuses to be my lab partner from now on? Zoe thought to herself as she felt her palms begin to dampen as she anxiously awaited her assignment.

"I have taken the liberty of marking your assignments out of 10 points, therefore, some of the questions are more heavily weighted than others. If you require further clarifications on the grading scheme, I have included a rubric at the end of your assignments. Now everyone, I want you to be aware that the class average was significantly lower than the one I had been anticipating. However, I would also like to state that I am more than willing to stay after school with those of you who wish to go over the assignment. There is nothing wrong with doing poorly on an assignment so long as you intend on bettering the results of future assignments. Do keep in mind that participation and willingness to better one's self with regards to the subject at hand will be taken into consideration during the course's overall marking scheme at the end of the summer semester." stated as his eyes scanned the classroom anticipating a few question. Yet to his immense surprise given the overall poor results obtained on the assignment none of the students seemed even the least bit interested in his offer.

All the assignments had now been distributed and most of the students had begun leaving the classroom yet Zoe sat motionless at her desk with her assignment placed face down on the table top.

"Hey. Are you okay? What did you get?" Asked Tristan.

"I uhm haven't checked yet. I'm pretty sure that I passed seeing as I really did put quite a bit of effort in this assignment but I'm really not too sure. I don't want to look dumb if I didn't pass. What will Grace think?" Zoe replied sounding rather frazzled.

"Why would you be worried of what Grace would think?" Tristan asked looking slightly dumbfounded.

"Oh did I say Grace? I meant my mom." Zoe replied hoping that Tristan wouldn't ask any more questions revolving around her little slip up. Why was she suddenly seeking Grace's approval? She hardly knew Grace, yet here she was worried of what she would think of her grade on some silly assignment. What was wrong with her?

"Okay well if you won't look at it than I will. We all know that I am just as much, if not more interested in finding out what you got." Stated Tristan as his hands began reaching forward to grasp the little bundle of paper lying on the desk in front of Zoe.

Here's the moment of truth, Zoe thought to herself as Tristan began turning over the assignment. Similarly to how one cannot look away from a train wreck even though it is horrific, Zoe could not pull her eyes of the ever so slowly turning bundle of paper.

Finally, as the papers were fully flipped right side up, Zoe could now see her grade, a big, fat, bold A+. Zoe could not believe her eyes and neither could Tristan.

"How on Earth did you do better than I did?" Tristan asked incredulously.

"Because she actually tried and she's really not as clueless as you'd expect once she applies herself" Grace replied with sending a cheeky wink in Zoe's direction.

Zoe did not respond, for she was much too surprised with just how well she had done.

Finally, once Zoe regained the ability to formulate speech, she got up and exclaimed in complete disbelief.

"I got an A+! I actually got an A+! Grace, you beautiful woman, you..., I got an A+ and it's all thanks to you!"

Zoe then reached towards Grace and wrapped her arms tightly around the very startled punk rocker, all the while garnering a few very perplexed looks from both Tristan and Grace.

Not entirely sure what was happening, Grace simply stood there and wondered if Zoe Rivas was really hugging her. Why was she hugging her? She hadn't really helped her all that much, Zoe had technically completed more than half of the assignment with little to no help from Grace, so why did Zoe think that her A+ was all because of her? Or more importantly, had Zoe called her beautiful? Why would one of the most attractive girls in school call her of all people beautiful? After having wrapped her head around the fact that Zoe was in fact hugging her, Grace decided to reciprocate the hug whilst still making it somewhat obvious that the hug wasn't exactly welcome, even though it felt pretty heavenly to be held in Zoe's soft, tender embrace and oh my that smell of cherries was intoxicating…..Oh God Grace get it together. You can't seriously be liking all of this attention you are obtaining from Zoe Rivas… You're not one of those sex crazed teenage boys, who cares if this stunning brunette is hugging you, pressing her warm body against yours and her soft skin against your exposed skin...Grace's train of thought was interrupted as she felt the brunette begin to pull away.

Zoe pulled away having realized that she had quite literally trapped Grace into an embrace, which may not have been the best thing to do seeing as she and Grace had barely begun to hangout and get along. However, it did feel really nice to hug Grace. Holding Grace felt right, it felt familiar, Zoe thought to herself.

" Oh my, Grace, I'm so sorry..., I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I got carried away in the moment and suddenly I was hugging you. I'm really sorry for not having asked you permission before having blatantly thrown myself at you." Zoe rambled as her cheeks began to redden.

"Woah calm down girl, take a breath. It's okay. I mean, it did catch me off guard but I'm still intact so no harm done I guess. You can stop apologizing though." Grace responded, desperately trying to stop the girl's ramblings even though they were kind of cute. Zoe could really pull off rosy cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4: The Weekend

Chapter 4: The Weekend.

The weekend had finally arrived and boy was it about time. Although the week itself hadn't been entirely too awful, Zoe and Grace both felt as though they needed a break from school, or rather a break from their proximity to each other. It's not that being close to one another was painful, or draining, or anything, but rather confusing. Both Zoe and Grace had felt their fare share of tempestuous emotions throughout the week and definitely felt that they needed time to recharge and recuperate.

It was a quiet Saturday morning, Grace had awoken at a quarter past ten, taken her shower, gotten dressed into one of her faded band t-shirts and a pair of worn out track pants, which she refused to wear anywhere else but home, fearing the ridicule she might receive if she were to ever be seen wearing them by any of her peers. Grabbing a bowl of cereal, Grace walked over to the couch in the living room, grabbed the tv remote, turned on the tv and sat down to enjoy her breakfast.

"Honey, your father and I are going to go grab some groceries and then we are going to be heading into town to visit your grandparents. Would you like to come?"

"No thanks mom, I am more than content staying here, indulging in these oh so delicious Reese's puffs and watching some cheesy tv sitcom reruns." Grace replied smirking at her own response.

"God you are just too funny. Well we will be on our way then. Have a nice day sweetheart. If you could find time in your oh so busy schedule and perhaps clean your room, that would be wonderful." Grace's mother replied sarcastically as she walked out of the front door.

Finally, she had the house to herself. Ah the freedom of serenity, Grace thought to herself until some ungodly noise interrupted her peaceful environment. Who goes there? Damn, am I quoting Harry Potter again….? I really need to get out more. Grace thought to herself as she got up from her comfortable sitting area and headed towards the front door expecting to find her mother on the other side rambling about how she had yet again forgotten to grab something before her official departure. Yet to her absolute dismay, as Grace opened the door whom she found was not her mother. Unless her mother had magically transformed into a rambunctious brunette, Zoe was in all actuality the one which was standing on Grace's doorstep. Realizing that this was not in fact a dream, Grace then also remembered what she was wearing. Why, oh why did she always resolve to wearing these torn up track pants during the weekend? Grace thought to herself as she tried to shimmy herself safely behind the wooden door as to hide her hideous track pants, while also trying not to look overly suspicious or silly, which to her absolute displeasure, wasn't working in her favour.

"Uhm hi Zoe, what are you doing here? It's Saturday, we don't have school today and pushed the due date of our second assignment until next week seeing as the majority of the class did quite poorly on the first assignment." Grace answered hastily.

"Oh I know, but who's to say that we can't get a head start? There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting ahead in life, plus my other plans for today fell through so I thought that I should come see you. Aren't you going to let me in?" Zoe asked whilst quirking her eyebrows awaiting Grace's response.

What was she to do now? Deep down a part of her wanted to let the brunette into her home but another part worried herself with what the brunette might say with regards to her filthy room, as her mother had called it, or the state of her disheveled outfit.

As Grace's tumultuous torrent of thoughts invaded her mind Zoe stood there nervously awaiting Grace's response. Zoe wasn't exactly accustomed to being kept waiting which meant that the longer she waited for Grace's answer, the more anxious she became. What if she doesn't want me here? She had after all hinted towards the fact that she was not planning on working on the assignment today, Zoe reflected.

After a few more agonizing moments, Grace was snapped out of her daze by the sound of Zoe fiddling with her car keys in her pocket. The fiddling caused Grace to look up at the brunette and notice that she did in fact look relatively terrified, as she awaited her response which prompted Grace to put her own insecurities aside and put the girl out of her misery. 

"Oh Uhhm yes, you may come in. Are you hungry at all? I'm just having some Reese's puffs but you're more than welcome to have some." Grace announced as she ushered Zoe inside of her home.

"I actually ate before I came her but thanks anyways." Zoey replied as she crossed the threshold. 

Stepping into the home, Zoe noted the distinct smell of lavender perfuming the air along with the smell of fresh linen which was surprisingly very appealing. Zoe also noticed all of the picture frames filled with family pictures and portraits which decorated the majority of the walls in the home, secretly finding herself drawn to those containing a certain, specific raven haired beauty.

Grace wasn't really the type of girl to have a lot of friends, which meant that she rarely ever got to invite anybody over. Therefore, she knew nothing of the proper greeting etiquette but she felt as though she should perhaps offer the petite brunette a tour of her home.

"Well since this is your first time here, would you like a tour of my humble abode? It may come in handy in you're ever in need of a restroom in the future." Grace proposed. Humble abode? You're joking right? Well if by some chance Zoe ever thought that maybe, just maybe you weren't such a dork all semblance of that must be gone by now, Grace thought as she internally face palmed.

"Oh my, aren't you just the sweetest little hostess. A tour would be lovely and by "future" does that mean that I will be invited to return? By the way, I'd love to come back if you'll have me." Zoe replied as she smiled in Grace's direction.

Wow she is breathtaking…..that beautiful smile, those enticing, shimmering eyes….just wow. Why do her lips look so tantalizing right now? Grace wondered as she admired Zoe dopily.

"Grace is something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Zoe asked seeming a little confused. Maybe the word future really hadn't meant that Grace would invite her to come over again, Zoe worried.

"Oh, yeah, everything is fine. Shall we begin this super exciting tour now?" Grace suggested as she began to walk towards the kitchen.

"Well this is the kitchen, and this is the hallway…etc and lastly, in the basement, this is my room. Sorry for the mess…I promise that my room will be clean the next time you come over. Your visit was just unexpected, but you're lucky that I like surprises." Grace said as she sat down at the foot of her bed and ushered Zoe to do the same.

Zoe did as she had been instructed and walked over to Grace's bed with the intention of sitting down beside Grace until, something caught her foot and caused her to lose her balance. Desperately trying not to face plant onto the hardwood floor, Zoe managed to hop on one foot a couple times, bringing her slightly closer to Grace's bed. However, before she was able to make it safely to the bed, the article of clothing which clung to her foot wrapped itself tighter around her ankle causing her to lose what little balance she had left. Unable to do anything else, Zoe came crashing down, but what she hadn't taken into account was her proximity to the other girl. Therefore, instead of simply falling onto the bed beside Grace, which was what she had intended to do, Zoe found herself falling onto Grace, pinning her up against her mattress. 


	5. Chapter 5: The Incident

**Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters and am merely adapting the story to better fit my interest.**

 **I hope you will find my story to be to your liking. Happy reading :)**

...

Chapter 5: The Incident.

How could she have been so clumsy? What was Grace thinking now? Maybe falling on the hardwood floor would have been the better alternative after all? Zoe pondered.

It had been exactly 13 hours, 46 minutes and 37 seconds since the incident had occurred and all Zoe could do now was pace the floors of her room back and fourth, back and fourth, so much so that Zoe was sure if she looked down to where she was standing she was bound to see two large ruts where her feet trailed over and over again.

Zoe had been thinking long and hard about what had happened and about what she wanted to tell Grace. However, every time Zoe mustered up the courage to contact the other girl she was met by the empty, endless ringing of her cell phone as she desperately yearned for the sound of Grace's voice. Indeed, it was true, her silence was deafening, Zoe thought to herself.

After having paced a few more times, Zoe resolved to laying wide eyed on her bed starring at her ceiling replaying yesterday's events in her mind. Everything had gone swimmingly at first during her visit at Grace's house, until the fateful moment she had gotten her foot stuck on an article of clothing laying around on Grace's bedroom floor which had caused Zoe to come crashing down on top of the raven haired girl. Laying on top of Grace, Zoe couldn't help but relish at their proximity, and find herself drawn to Grace's big, beautiful, brown orbs which caused her breath to hitch in her throat. Both Zoe's and Grace's breathing increased and their hearts began to beat faster and faster as they got lost into each other's eyes. Zoe then found herself diverting her eyes to Grace's luscious, red stained lips which looked so appealing. Unable to stop herself, Zoe lowered herself till their bodies were flush against one another, making the warmth between them that much more evident. Without much more thought, Zoe caressed Grace's face with one of her hand and places her lips onto the other girl's. Zoe began to kiss Grace softly, quickening the pace as she felt Grace reciprocate the movements of her lips. The kiss's intensity was becoming more and more uncontrollable until, Zoe suddenly felt Grace pull away. Realizing what had happened, Zoe looked down at Grace and having seen the uncomfortable look on Grace's face, Zoe began to pull herself off of Grace.

Zoe stood there, unable to speak and unsure as to what she should do. While her senses felt as though they were on overdrive and her mind felt as though it would explode. Zoe wanted to tell Grace that what had happened was amazing and had opened up her mind to so many different perspectives she had not yet considered. Zoe wanted to tell Grace that this was everything she ever thought was missing from her life yet, when she looked over in Grace's direction, instead of finding a girl undergoing the same realizations she had been discovering, she found a rather frightened look etched on her face.

Oh god what have I done? I clearly read the signs wrong and shouldn't have allowed myself to let go of all of my inhibitions. Zoe thought to herself as her "high" came crashing down at the realization that she may have just ruined everything.

Instead of talking to the raven haired girl, Zoe found her footing and caught herself darting for the front door. Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Zoe grabbed her shoes, slammed the front door and began to let the tears stream freely down her face as she began driving away from the Cardinal's residence.

The remainder of the weekend continued as such, with absolute radio silence from Grace's end. After having awaited a response from Grace all day and night, Zoe decided to give up what little hope she had that the raven haired girl would respond and tried to will her mind to stay silent long enough for her to fall asleep. Falling asleep, to Zoe's surprise, did not take nearly as long as she thought that it would have, most likely due to the intense turmoil of emotions she had been going through since that fateful afternoon.

It was now Monday morning, and Zoe woke up at six o'clock, the way she always did in order to get ready for school. Rather than take her time getting ready, Zoe decided to rush her morning routine in order to get to school earlier with the hopes of bumping into Grace. Seeing as they were partners after all, Zoe thought that putting everything out in the open would be the best tactic as to not allow what had happened to ruin them or their group dynamic.

Walking into school, Zoe's eyes scanned the empty hallways of Degrassi High searching for a certain punk rocker. However, to her dismay, the girl was nowhere in sight. Running out of ideas, Zoe decided to walk over to Grace's locker and sit down on the hallway floor awaiting the girl. Nearly thirty minutes had passed and there was still no sign of Grace. A few moments later, the bell rang announcing the start of classes which meant that Zoe had no choice but to leave her post and resume her studies. The entire period went by still with no sign of Grace which had started to worry Zoe.

As the bell rang, announcing the end of the period, Zoe grabbed her belongings and rushed out of the classroom, intent on avoiding the wave of students which would soon fill the hallways. After having gotten her keys out of her locker, Zoe hastily made her way to her car and almost on autopilot drove over to Grace's house. Hurriedly, she sprinted to the door and knocked vigorously on the big, red, oak door. Moments later, she was greeted by a tall, slender, fair haired woman, this must have been Grace's mother.

"Hi, can I help you?" Grace's mom asked whilst her face featured a rather puzzled expression.

"Oh uhm, yes. May I speak to Grace please?" Zoe asked.

"Unfortunately, Grace isn't really feeling too well today. I don't think that having guests over would be very wise." responded.

"I'm not afraid to get sick, I've always been told that I have a fantastic immune system. Grace and I also need to discuss a few things pertaining to our next class project." Zoe insisted.

"Dear it's not that I think you will get sick but rather that Grace needs as much rest as she can get" Said Mrs. Cardinal until Grace came into sight and interrupted her mother telling her that she would like to hear what Zoe had to say.

After having received the go ahead from Grace, Mrs. Cardinal allowed Zoe to come inside and head downstairs to Grace's bedroom, which to Zoe's surprise was rather clean in comparison to how it had been during her last visit.

"I see you cleaned your room. Were you that afraid of me falling and landing on you again?" Zoe asked as she winked in Grace's direction.

Unbeknownst to her, Grace began to blush at the statement whilst she diverted her gaze to her bedroom floor.

"So what did you need to speak to me about? Did I miss anything important in class today?" Grace asked, completely disregarding Zoe's earlier statement.

"No, Mr. Bane rambled endlessly about the solar system which in all actuality, can really be summarized in a few sort sentences. However, I did have something to talk to you about." Zoe said.

Taking a deep breath as to steady herself and calm her nerves, Zoe decided that it was now or never. It was time to talk to Grace about the other day. Nevertheless, before Zoe could begin formulating the words which were necessary to convey how she had felt about the incident, Grace rushed out of the bedroom and headed towards the bathroom whilst coughing violently.

Unsure as to what she was expected to do in this particular situation, Zoe followed suit towards the bathroom.

Pressed up against the bathroom door Zoe asked. "Grace are you okay?"


	6. Chapter 6: The Hospital

**Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters and am merely giving my imagination a spin. Enjoy.**

 **Happy reading.**

 **...**

Chapter 6: The Hospital.

"Are you okay Grace?" After having asked that question moments ago, Zoe awaited Grace's response until she heard a loud thud occur on the other side of the bathroom door. Without hesitation, Zoe attempted to open the bathroom door which was unfortunately locked. With the adrenaline coursing trough her veins, Zoe took a few steps back and ran towards the door, slamming her shoulder into the door repeatedly, trying to get the door to open. Finally, after a few more attempts, the door flung open, revealing a semi conscious, blood covered Grace. Having heard the commotion downstairs, Grace's mother rushed towards where Zoe had been standing and peered into the washroom, frantic at the sight of her lethargic daughter.

Almost on instinct, Mrs. Cardinal reached into her back pocket and sped dialed 911 on her cell phone, whilst Zoe rushed towards Grace, and immediately tried to roll Grace onto her side as to prevent the other girl from choking on the blood which spewed from her mouth with every cough she endured.

After what felt like an eternity to the frazzled brunette, the ambulance finally arrived to the Cardinal residence. Not long after its arrival, the two paramedics were led inside by Grace's mother and directed towards the semi conscious girl. Mrs. Cardinal briefly recapped Grace's medical history and let the paramedics load Grace inside of the ambulance while stepping into the back of the emergency vehicle herself as to be alongside her daughter.

"I think it's best if you went home sweetheart. I will keep you informed on Grace's behalf." Mrs. Cardinal said as the doors leading to the back of the ambulance were closed and the raven haired girl was no longer in sight.

Zoe stood still as the ambulance drove away and she felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest. Zoe continued to watch the ambulance in the distance until it became too far for her to see, it was at that moment that she felt the dampness underneath her eyes. Had she been crying this whole time?

Unsure as to what she should do next, Zoe drove home and began pilling clothes into a duffel bag along with a few other toiletries which she intended to bring to Grace. If Grace had to stay overnight she at least wanted her to be comfortable, Zoe thought to herself. After having added a few more items to the duffel bag, Zoe felt her pocket vibrate. Reaching for her phone Zoe saw the name Grace flash onto the screen of her phone. Completely overjoyed, Zoe reached for her phone and answered.

"Oh my god, Grace! How are you? Is everything okay? Should I be worried because I'm kind of freaking out." Zoe frantically said.

"Hi, this is Grace's mother actually, Grace has been sent up for further observations but it is looking like a viral infection. With Grace having cystic fibrosis, simple viral infections can really be detrimental to her health and cause intense reactions like this one." Mrs. Cardinal responded.

"Cystic fibrosis? Grace never mentioned anything. Gosh could I have caused the viral infection?" Zoe asked as her breathing increased at the thought of having unintentionally caused Grace pain.

"Well that doesn't surprise me, Grace believes that people will treat her differently if they knew of her illness. Therefore, she keeps her illness more to herself. As to what caused the viral infection, I'm sure it wasn't you, it usually takes more than simply talking or being around someone to transmit a virus." Replied Grace's mother, somewhat chuckling at Zoe's question. However, unbeknownst to Mrs. Cardinal, Zoe and Grace had been doing much more than simply hanging out and talking.

Later that night, Zoe took it upon herself to research as much as she could about cystic fibrosis, she was determined to help Grace through this and be there for her through it all. However, the more she researched the condition, the more she realized that Grace's odds of fighting and recovering from this disease were slim to none.

How could it be that I finally found the person whom I believe complete me and aid me in being the best version of myself yet they are gravely ill? Zoe pondered as she began to be driven to despair.

One way or another, Zoe knew that she needed to be in Grace's presence and to gaze into her calming, brown eyes. Without another fleeting moment, Zoe grabbed the duffel bag filled with clothes and toiletries, along with a few food provisions in case she needed to be at the hospital for a while or on the off chance that Grace would want to eat something other than hospital food, and she headed out the door.

Before having really had the chance to take in the scenery during her drive to the hospital, Zoe had arrived at her destination and was rushing inside to meet Grace's mother in order to ask if it would be possible for her to see the raven haired girl.

After having spoken to Grace's mother, Zoe was given the permission to visit the other girl mostly due to the fact that Grace herself had been yearning to see the feisty brunette. Walking into Grace's room, both Zoe and Grace immediately beamed at the sight of each other, almost as though everything that had happened had miraculously been erased due to their proximity.

"Hi, how are you feeling? I heard you had to get a lot of tests taken, I hope they were not too painful. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Zoe said as she hurried over to where the punk rocker was laying in a hospital bed.

"I'm okay, I guess…I'm assuming my mom must have told you about my condition by now, so the tests weren't too bad for me now seeing as I am more than accustomed to them at this point. I'm sorry to have worried you. You needn't worry now, it seems as though your lab partner will be just fine." Grace replied whilst snickering at her own comment which unfortunately caused her to have another mini cough attack.

"Your mom said that it's a viral infection. Could I possibly have been the reason for this infection?" Zoe asked as she looked towards the ground, fearing Grace's response, seeing as she already felt responsible.

"You? Why would you be the reason for it? It's not your fault that I have stupid lungs." Grace replied.

"You know what I mean. Could our kiss have been the reason for the virus?" Zoe asked, this time looking directly into Grace's eyes to emphasize just how serious she was about her statement.

"Oh, that…..I…..I'm not sure." Grace replied as her cheeks began to turn a light shade of crimson.

Silence fell between both girls as they pondered what they should say next, not knowing if discussing the kiss more in detail would be a good idea given the circumstances. However, the kiss had been all any of them were able to think about.

Deciding that it was in fact time to talk about said kiss, Grace mustered up all of the courage she could find in very single inch of her being, asked Zoe to come closer to the bed and told her that she had indeed been thinking about discussing it with her.

"So about the kiss….." Grace began to say.


	7. Chapter 7: The Date

Chapter 7: The Date

It had been one week since Grace's viral infection and two days since she had officially been released from her stay at the hospital, and she couldn't be any happier about the latter. Grace had been dying to see Zoe since their last talk about their kiss, yet Grace's mother had obliged her to stay at home at least for a couple days following her recent stay at the hospital to ensure that the raven haired girl was in fact doing better.

"See mom, it has been two days since my release and I am indeed fit as a fiddle as I had informed you earlier. Need I remind you that you had specifically asked me to wait a couple days before venturing into the real world and I have done just that. Therefore, can I please go see this new horror movie that I've been dying to see with Zoe tonight? I promise to be home no later than 11'oclock and if for some reasons our plans change, I promise to inform you." Grace asked all the while giving her mom a slightly pouty face which she had hoped would sway Mrs. Cardinal's response in her favor.

"That depends, have you managed to complete all of the assignments Zoe brought you and did you speak to Mr. Bane about rescheduling your next test as to allow yourself time to actually study for it seeing as studying wasn't all that easy with how sick you were last week?" Mrs. Cardinal asked her daughter.

"Yes, mom. I did those things ages ago actually, now can I please go? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Wait, never mind, you don't like cherries…..uhhm with a raspberry on top?" Grace begged as she attempted to give her mom the saddest puppy dog eyes she felt she was capable of imitating.

"Okay fine, but only if you give me Zoe's cell phone number in case anything happens and so long as Zoe won't mind picking you up and dropping you off here seeing as I will be going to bed shortly." Grace's mom replied, having finally caved in to her daughter's demands.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Grace replied as she beamed a smile in her mother's direction and raced downstairs to her room to text Zoe.

Reaching for her phone on her bed, Grace instantly lit up as the name of one certain rambunctious brunette appeared on the screen of her phone.

*Ring. Ring. Ring.*

Oh My God Grace pick up! Pick up the phone! I know you're excited to talk to her, so just pick up, I don't really think that she will care if you pick it up on the first succession of rings. Then again, what if seems desperate to pick up so suddenly? Grace's thoughts rambled in her brain as her phone continued ringing. Finally, letting go of all inhibitions, the raven haired girl grabbed the phone and greeted the brunette.

"Hi Zoe, I was just thinking about texting you actually." Grace said while internally face palming at how semi desperate that sounded. Grace sincerely hoped that Zoe wouldn't comment on her semi evident desperation.

"Hey, well I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was thinking about getting in touch. So I saw online that this new horror flick came out today and seeing as I know you love horror movies, I was wondering if you'd like to go tonight perhaps…with me….. If not, I completely understand and would be more than willing to do anything else you could have in mind….that is if hanging out with me would be something you would have in mind. Gosh am I imposing….?" Zoe rambled as the cool and calm composure she had worked so hard to build before having made the phone call to the raven haired girl quickly faded into oblivion.

Zoe could feel her heart beating a thousand beats per minute and could feel her palms getting even sweatier than they were previously as she nervously awaited Grace's response.

"That sounds like an excellent plan. I was actually about to ask you the same thing. Do you think you'd be able to pick me up before the show? That is if I am not imposing or anything." Grace replied.

"Oh yeah for sure! When should I come get you?" Zoe asked as she smiled from ear to ear.

"I'm ready if you are." Grace replied equally overjoyed to be going to see the movie with the woman of her admiration.

"Okay, I'll be there in about ten minutes." Zoe replied as she hung up the phone and rushed to her closet to pick out what ought to be the perfect movie date outfit. Wait was this really a date? Zoe wondered as she flitted through her belongings attempting to hastily throw an outfit together.

In the Cardinal residence, Grace was finding herself on a very similar train of thought than the little brunette. Is this a date? Should I dress as though it was, or would that be too forwards? Grace thought to herself as she ran towards the washroom decided to brush her teeth before her departure. Date or no date, good oral hygiene should never be in question, Grace thought to herself as she suddenly heard the ringing of the doorbell. Without hesitation, Grace raced towards the door and was absolutely dumbfounded with how beautiful Zoe looked.

"Hey there miss stares a lot, aren't you going to invite me inside." Zoe joked all the while enjoying the way Grace was looking at her.

"Yeah, sorry, I just uhhm….really like your outfit. Come in." Grace lied as she secretively ogled the breathtaking brunette which stood before her.

How is it possible for someone to look so damn attractive wearing a pair of black jeans and a gray t-shirt? It's not like it's some fancy outfit or anything. Grace thought to herself as felt a tingle begin to form in her nether region.

"Haha, you're too funny. I'm only wearing jeans and a t-shirt but I'm glad you like it. I like what you're wearing too. Have I ever told you that V-neck shirts look phenomenal on you?" Zoe replied whilst being rather flustered looking at the taller girl's prominent cleavage.

"So shall we get going? I think if we leave now we will have enough time to catch the movie and perhaps raid the concession stand if you'd like" Grace said all the while catching Zoe's eyes which were fixated on her chest. I suppose showing cleavage was the right move. Who knew that Zoe Rivas had such an admiration for her breasts. Grace thought as she began to wonder what the brunette's breasts might look like.

"Sounds good to me so long as you promise to share my popcorn with me" Zoe replied, as she opened the door behind herself to allow themselves to exit the house.

After a short drive to town, Zoe pulled into the parking lot of the movie theatre and instructed Grace to stay in the vehicle as to be able to open the door for her, which secretly made Grace's heart melt.

"So I may or may not have already purchased the tickets for the movie. I really wanted to be prepared and I knew you wanted to see this movie so I wanted to make sure that we got our tickets before they sold out. I hope that's okay." Zoe sheepishly told Grace.

"Oh okay, thanks. How much do I owe you?" Grace asked.

"You don't owe me anything. I wanted tonight to be my treat. I guess you could think of it as a getting out of the hospital present or maybe as a….I'm paying for you because this is hopefully a date kind of thing…." Zoe replied as her cheeks began to blush furiously as she awaited Grace's response.

"I think I'd rather call this a date because if this is a date, I believe it might give me permission to do this…" Grace replied as she reached for Zoe's hand and then began to walk towards the theatre hand in hand.


	8. Chapter 8: The Constellation

Chapter 8: The Constellations

The movie had been exactly what Grace had envisioned, which meant that she thought it was absolutely amazing. However, unlike Grace, Zoe thought that the movie had been completely terrifying and gory, yet she wasn't about to admit that to the raven haired girl. She was, after all on a date with the other girl and wanted nothing more than to impress Grace and show her that she too also liked horror movie. However, contrarily to how well she felt she had been handling herself during the movie, Zoe had had quite the death grip onto Grace's hand and had definitely been caught hiding her face behind her free hand on more than one occasion, which to Grace's surprise had actually been rather cute.

Still holding each other's hands, Zoe and Grace walked out of the theatre towards Zoe's car. Yet again, Zoe had walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle in order to open the car door for her date, for which this action still seemed to surprise.

"My lady" Zoe said as she gestured Grace inside of the vehicle.

"Thank you." Grace replied as her cheeks sported a rather pinkish colouration.

Walking around the car and into the driver's side, Zoe couldn't believe how well tonight had gone, or how nice it had felt to hold Grace's hand. Once seated in the car, Zoe glanced over in Grace's direction and couldn't help but get an almost uncontrollable urge to kiss the raven haired beauty. Deciding that kissing Grace may be a bit premature for a first date, Zoe decided to distract herself by asking Grace how she felt about the movie and asking her which other types of movies she enjoyed, while secretly hoping she and Grace could find common ground as to avoid having to view yet another terrifying horror flick. The remainder of the drive continued as such, with ample conversation and with both parties smiling and giggling significantly. A few moments after their departure, Zoe was now pulling into Grace's driveway.

"When are you expected to be home?" Grace asked, noting that it was not yet 11'oclock, which had been the curfew she and her mother had agreed upon.

"My mom isn't home tonight actually so she didn't specify a time for me to be back." Zoe replied hoping that Grace would ask her to stay and spend a bit more time with her. Which to her delight, Grace asked her if she would like to go for a walk to a nearby park to sit on the swings and admire the beautiful, shimmering stars which adorned the sky.

Grace had been right, sitting on the swings, Zoe could see millions of bright, twinkling stars along with the crescent moon which illuminated the sky with a pale glimmer.

"Wow Grace, this is really beautiful. I'm really glad you suggested star gazing, it's quite magical." Zoe exclaimed, with clear amusement present on her face as she gazed towards the heavens.

"I'm glad you like it. However, I do know an even better place to gaze at the stars if you'd like to go there?" Grace asked.

"Oh, yeah sure." Zoe replied looking rather puzzled.

"Don't worry princess I'm not taking you anywhere too far, it's just up ahead" Grace said as she pointed to the nearby roundabout.

After having made their way over to the roundabout, Grace gestured for Zoe to take a seat next to her and then laid down in order to better see the sky.

"See that over there? That's the Scorpio constellation, it is made up of a cluster of four stars which reside between the Libra constellation to the west, and the Sagittarius constellation to the east. It's one of my favorite constellations, seeing as Scorpio is Latin for the word scorpion, it takes the shape of a scorpion." Grace chimed as she looked intently at the Northern, summer night sky.

As Grace continued her monologue about the night sky and its constellations, Zoe couldn't help but stare in complete admiration at the beautiful raven haired girl which laid beside her. Zoe found herself completely entranced by Grace's enthusiasm and excitement, so much so that she completely overlooked how dorky she would normally have found anyone with this much knowledge about astronomy and astrology.

"Gosh I'm doing it again, letting myself ramble on and on about a topic that you might not actually care about. I tend to do that. I mean astronomy is just so fascinating to me and I kind of forget that it might not be as amazing to everyone else…" Grace said looking bashful.

"No, please continue. It never hurts to learn new things and you really do seem to be enjoying yourself so who am I to stop all the fun. Just for your information, even though I may not be as interested with celestial objects as you are, I am thoroughly enjoying myself looking at one of the brightest, most breathtaking stars here." Zoe replied whilst sending a cheeky wink in Grace's direction.

"Oh so you mean the Northern star?" Grace asked.

"For someone so intelligent you can really be clueless sometimes." Zoe exclaimed as she rolled over on top of Grace.

Unaware as to what she should do next and greatly caught off guard, Grace simply peered up into Zoe's eyes, daring her to make the next move. Only a few moments later, Zoe lowered her body farther until they were laying flat against one another, then she pressed her lips onto Grace's. At first, Zoe had simply intended on giving Grace a chaste peck on the lips, however, when the brunette attempted to pull away, the punk rocker tugged at her waist in order to deepen the kiss. Amazed at how magnificent this felt, both girls allowed themselves to be completely wrapped up in the moment. Soon their kisses grew shorter and hastier as their hands began to wander seeking the warmth of human skin. As their lips kept moving in complete unison, Zoe caught herself grinding her hips onto Grace's almost as though to ease the growing throbbing sensation they were both feeling now. As the pace of the grinding began to increase, a breathless moan escaped from Grace's lips breaking Zoe from the trance she was under. Having now realized where this was headed, Zoe's hip movements came to a complete halt and she leaped off of Grace.

"Oh my god Grace, I am so sorry. I swear I didn't mean for it to get that heated. I just wanted to kiss you but before I could stop myself things got way too heated." Zoe replied looking extremely flustered.

"It's okay Zoe, you weren't the only one who let this get a little out of hand. After all, I was the one who pulled you down in order to deepen the kiss. You did nothing wrong. I mean I am glad that we did stop when we did but I am in no way bothered by what happened. If anything, kissing you cleared a lot of things up for me…..I really liked kissing you….amongst other things which were exciting, yet a little premature for a first date. Seeing as I enjoyed myself thoroughly this evening, I was wondering if you'd like to go on another date with me?" Grace asked.

"Kissing you was…..what's the word I'm looking for….magical! I am pretty sure that our lips were made for each other's…. You're right about the other stuff being a bit premature though, it did feel amazing but I can't let you think that I'm that easy missy. I will need to go on at least six more dates with you before I let your hands venture wherever they please." Zoe replied with a cheeky grin.

"Six dates? A bit demanding aren't you?" Grace joked as she received an elbow to the ribs.

"Oh Ha Ha. You'll be wishing I had said less than six dates soon enough when you'll be wanting to get your hands all over this." Zoe replied as she slid her hands gently over the curves of her body.

She's right….I might already be wishing that she would have said less than six dates. Grace thought to herself as she examined the brunette's physique.

"This has been the best date ever!" Zoe exclaimed as she and Grace started walking back towards the Cardinal residence hand in hand.


	9. Chapter 9: The Reveal

Chapter 9: The reveal

Since Grace and Zoe's first date, it had become a rather rare occurrence to catch one of the girls without the other and it had not gone unnoticed by many parties. A very specific party had been rather perplexed by how close both girls had become throughout a short period of time and had begun to draw up his own conclusions as to what may be going on between the two. As said individual walked into the crowded hallway of Degrassi High, he spotted one Zoe Rivas, which was standing at her locker surprisingly alone. Seeing this moment as an opportune moment to approach the brunette to discuss her odd behaviour, Tristan walked towards Zoe's locker.

"Hey Zoe. Long time no talk. I see your doppelganger isn't here. What is up with you two anyways? You are literally always together. It's almost as though you two were a couple." Tristan half joked.

At the mention of her's and Grace's proximity, Zoe could feel her heart beat a thousand beats per minute and felt as though she may faint. Was Tristan really aware of their secret relationship? Maybe being gay allowed him to have a special sixth sense that allowed him to scope out other homosexual relationships, Zoe thought to herself.

"Earth to Zoe? You do know that it's rude not to answer someone's questions right?" Tristan mocked.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just really tired today. To answer your onslaught of questions though, no Grace is not here, she had a doctor's appointment to attend today and we are just friends. I like her company and she likes mine, so why not hangout often?" Zoe responded, hoping to evade any further questions Tristan may have to ask. However, to Zoe complete and utter disappointment, Tristan did not let up and in fact, decided that he was onto something and had to find out more.

"I understand that you two are friends, but I may be sensing something more. Friends don't usually hangout together every single day, it's a little peculiar. If not for the fact that I have seen you pursue more than your fair share of guys, I'd almost assume that you and Grace were together, like together together." Tristan said as he quirked one of his eyebrows almost as though this gesture was enabling him to figure out this mystery.

Upon having mentioned that Zoe and Grace may be dating, Zoe couldn't help but start to feel her heart begin to race yet again, and felt as though her face was on fire.

"Wow Zoe, why are you blushing so vigorously? Oh my god! You and Grace? Really? Holly hell, I was right? Wow, I had actually never pegged you to be a carpet muncher." Tristan exclaimed.

"Tristan will you keep your voice down! I am not a carpet muncher! Grace and I are sort of, kind of a thing but we have done absolutely no munching of the carpet variety." Zoe replied. In this moment, Zoe was sure she would die. What if Tristan told everyone? How would people react to the news and how would they treat them after having gotten wind of it? Zoe pondered.

Distress became evident on her features, which to her great satisfaction, was met by Tristan wrapping his arms around her and tightening his grip around her shoulders while whispering into her ear "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I know how much it sucks to be outed when you're not ready and I would never wish that upon anyone."

"Thank you." Zoe responded on the verge of tears. She and Grace had discussed their feelings for one another but they had never really discussed what their relationship would mean to others. Being confronted by Tristan about the fact that she was indeed dating a girl and the fact that this could, in all actuality, mean that she was gay had sent a whirlwind of emotions through her body. Unable to fully process all of the rampant emotions coursing through her body, Zoe decided that it would be best to continue on as though Tristan didn't know her secret and decided to ask Tristan not to mention it for a while until she felt fully ready to discuss it with him, which to her surprise, he agreed to do so.

However, contrarily to how Zoe had wanted to ignore what had unfolded in the hallway that morning, it became all the brunette could think about. The school day could not have gone any slower. Therefore, as soon as the bell rang announcing the end of classes, Zoe hastily grabbed all her belongings, and bolted out of the classroom door. Almost on autopilot, Zoe got into her car and drove to the Cardinal residence, intent on speaking with Grace about Tristan's findings.

"Oh hi Zoe, Grace is downstairs in her room. Shall I get her for you?" Mrs. Cardinal asked as she opened to door to allow Zoe into their home.

"Would it be alright if I went down there to see her instead? I have a lot to discuss with her." Zoe replied, hoping that Grace's mom wouldn't ask her to elaborate because that was simply not a conversation she felt like having with the woman. It's not like she could say "Well this guy at school has figured out that your daughter and I are an item and has called us out on carpet munching which we are not participating in, however, we may be at some point in time I suppose?" Yeah there was no way on earth she was going to have that conversation.

"Oh okay. Go right ahead." Mrs. Cardinal responded.

"Thank you." Zoe replied as she raced downstairs, anxious to see the woman of her admiration.

Arriving at Grace's bedroom door, rather than knocking politely at the door, Zoe could no longer contain the news she had to share with the raven haired girl and opened the door without warning. Upon having done so, Zoe walked into what looked like the beginning of some corny 80ies pornographic film, with Grace being bent over one of the drawers of her mahogany dresser whilst only wearing a towel around her chest and abdomen. With how exposed Grace was, Zoe eyes couldn't help but wander and a soft, almost inaudible gasp left her parched lips. Completely startled, Grace spun around to see the intruder in her room, and noticed that it was Zoe. However, due to the vigour of her movements, Grace's towel, which had been tied around her chest, became too loose to remain clinging to her body and fell to the floor, completely revealing the raven haired girl's body.

"Oh my gosh, Grace. I'm sorry. I didn't know you had just taken a shower. I swear I had no idea that I would find you in the nude." Zoe rambled as she quickly turned around at the sight of the other girl's fully exposed body. Zoe had secretly wanted to admire the other girl's beautiful curves, her glistening skin and the way that her breasts fell onto her chest but felt as though now wasn't exactly the right time to do so.

"It's not your fault, but I'm going to go back into the washroom to get changed now." Grace said as she hastily grabbed some articles of clothing and raced towards the bathroom.

Moments later, Grace emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed this time, much to Zoe's disapproval. Immediately noting the brunettes discomfort, Grace decided to disregard what had occurred a few moments ago and concentrate on what could be troubling her princess.

"So I'm guessing that you have big news to tell me seeing as you didn't knock on my door like you usually would have." Grace inquired, whilst she awaited the news that could have the brunette so distraught.


	10. Chapter 10: Double date?

Chapter 10: Double date?

Grace sat down on her bed and gestured for Zoe to come sit beside her. Zoe promptly did as she was instructed and sat beside the raven-haired girl. Taking Grace's hand into her own, Zoe began unfolding the series of events which had occurred between Tristan and herself this morning. At the mention of having been outed Grace's mind began to panic a little. However, she chose to remain silent until her girlfriend's ramblings had subsided.

"So let me get this straight, or not straight if we are being comedic here, Tristan found out about us but is willing to keep quiet for the sake of not outing us?" Grace asked. To which Zoe responded with a nod.

"Well that's great babe. Why were you so frantic? Tristan promised to keep quiet so there's nothing to worry about. Who knows, if Tristan can manage to find himself a strapping young lad, we could even double sometime." Grace joked as she quirked up one of her eyebrows.

"I am frantic because I don't really know if we can trust Tristan. He loves drama, and this has got to be the juiciest bit of drama he has heard in a while. On another note, double? Grace Cardinal, you would want to do a double date with Tristan and his boy toy, when he manages to obtain one which he is willing to keep around long enough for these trivial couple things? Wow, I never thought I would hear those words leave your mouth." Zoe said seeming rather amused by the idea.

"Well that was meant to be more of a joke, though if it would actually make you happy, you know I would suffer through it for you." Grace said whilst her cheeks turned slightly rosy.

"Has anyone ever told you how much of a softy you are?" Zoe said.

"Hey, watch it. I am not soft. I am just a thoughtful girlfriend." Grace replied as she jokingly glared towards Zoe.

"Oh, is that so? While I do agree that you are a very thoughtful girlfriend, I also think that you are just as soft as a teddy bear." Zoe replied as she began tickling Grace's sides, causing Grace to fall back onto her bed.

Zoe climbed fully onto the bed and continued her tickling torture until Grace's vigorous movements caused Zoe to fall onto Grace. Zoe, now straddling Grace decided to stop her tickling as to look into her girlfriend's beautiful brown orbs which always seemed to draw her in.

"You are so breathtakingly beautiful" Zoe said as she admired the girl laying beneath her.

Before Grace could protest this statement, Zoe lowered her lips onto Grace's and began kissing her soft, supple lips. As her lips touched her beloved, Zoe felt her heart begin to race, her blood pumping ever so vigorously through her veins. Much to Zoe's approval, Grace wrapped her hands around the brunette's waist, attempting to remove any distance which remained between their bodies. Arousal coursing through her veins, Zoe deepened the kiss, slowly biting Grace's bottom lip and allowing her tongue to caress the other girl's pillowy lips until it gained access to the raven-haired girl's tongue. Grace moaned at the feeling of Zoe biting onto her bottom lip which caused her hips to gyrate upwards, yearning for physical contact. Zoe then placed one of her legs between the other girl's thighs and began thrusting ever so slightly eliciting yet another moan from Grace's lips. With every movement, the brunette made, Grace felt an even more prominent throbbing sensation between her thighs. Almost on autopilot, Grace grabbed Zoe's posterior and pulled her harder towards her whilst managing to slip her own thigh between Zoe's. Completely caught off guard, Zoe was unable to stifle the moan which escaped her lips after having felt the wonderful sensation caused by Grace's thigh residing between her own.

"Grace, should we stop? I don't want to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing." Zoe managed to say breathlessly as she stopped gyrating her hips into the other girl.

"I don't want to stop." Grace replied as she pushed Zoe back and began taking the other girl's shirt off, revealing a light pink, lace bra. Not wasting another moment, Grace undid the clasp of Zoe's bra revealing her beautiful, pale breasts.

"Oh, my god. I am so turned on. She is so sexy. It looks like she's enjoying this whole me taking charge thing but….now what do I do? Think Grace, think!" Grace pondered as she ogled her girlfriend's exposed breasts. "Okay so, remember that time you watched pornography….do that…" Grace though as she cupped her hands over Zoe's breast and placed her mouth over the other girl's hard, pink nipple and began to suck on it ever so slightly. As Zoe began to moan, Grace became more confident with the decision she had made and began thoroughly enjoying herself.

…...

"Wow!" Grace exclaimed as she fell back onto her bed beside her equally exhausted girlfriend.

"I know. That was…." Zoe began saying until Grace finished her sentence.

"Incredible" Grace said, as she rolled over onto her side, pressing her naked body onto Zoe's in order to give her a soft, tender kiss.

"Was I okay…?" Zoe asked, as she refused to make eye contact with Grace.

"You were amazing baby, although I have no previous experiences to compare your performance to." Grace joked as she cheekily winked towards her girlfriend.

"Oh, my god! I am your first?" Zoe asked incredulously.

"Well yeah. Does that bother you?" Grace asked.

"No, I just wish I could have made it more special for you. You deserve the world and I was too stupid to realize that this was your first time and I didn't even have the chance to make it romantic." Zoe uttered whilst internally beating herself up.

"It was special because it was with you. I didn't want a big romantic gesture. I am just happy that I got to have my first time with you…..because I love you." Grace said as she immediately broke away her gaze with the brunette afraid that she may not feel the same.

Grabbing Grace's face, Zoe turned it towards herself and said "I love you too".


	11. Chapter 11: The Aftermath

Chapter 11: The aftermath

The rest of the week continued on like it always had, yet keeping their relationship a secret had gotten increasingly more difficult. Keeping their relationship, a secret at first, proved to be a little sexy, their secretive bathroom make out sessions and the gentle stroking of hands as they would pass items to one another. However, following the new level of intimacy which they had reached, neither girl wanted to distance themselves from one another and neither could stand seeing the way guys would ogle at their girlfriend unaware that they were spoken for.

"I hate men! Why must they always stare at you? Wait I know why, its because you're so freaking gorgeous but you're mine." Grace whined as she glared towards one of the boys in the hallway which had been checking out Zoe.

"Babe you're crazy, no one is checking me out. Plus, even if they were, you know I only have eyes for you. Also, did I fail to mention that my girlfriend is totally the sexiest woman around? How could I possibly want anyone else?" Zoe replied, as she took the opportunity to discretely give her girlfriend's hand a squeeze.

"I know, I know, but I can't help it. Seeing people check you out in general makes me crazy, especially seeing as none of them know that you're with me." Grace replied bashfully.

"You're kind of cute when you're all jealous." Zoe joked.

"Oh haha but I'm serious babe…I want people to know that we are together. I am sick of hiding our relationship. You make me so incredibly happy and I am pretty sure that I make you very happy as well, why should that be something that we hide from the public?" Grace asked, finally tearing her gaze away from her future victims, wait did I say victim? I meant to say high school boys which has previously been ogling her girlfriend.

Peering into Grace's eyes, Zoe could see that this was in fact really bothering her raven-haired beauty, which obviously upset her but she couldn't tell people…..could she? What would people think? "My my, Zoe Rivas, have you finally run out of male conquests that you now need to switch teams in order to obtain more conquests?" Zoe imagined people saying.

"We don't have to do it right away, but soon hopefully. I also understand if you don't want to come out to your family yet, but it would be nice for our friends to know at least. In time, I would also like to tell my family…..because you're important to me and I want to one day be able to invite you to family functions and introduce you as my girlfriend." Grace said, interrupting Zoe's inner ramblings.

"Do we have to? I quite like the secretive life….it's sexy?" Zoe replied, panic somewhat evident in her eyes.

"Yes, but think of how much sexier it would be for me to be able to hold your hand in public, or to hug you before heading to class and to kiss you when I see you in the morning. I see other couples doing those things all the time and I wish those things for us. Don't you?" Grace replied, urging Zoe to see her side.

"I do want those things babe…but what if people react poorly to the news? What if we become the laughing stock of the school?" Zoe uttered.

"Look at Imogen and Fiona. They made their relationship public and sure there were some repercussions but for the most part, people were happy for them and people supported them. All to say that we wouldn't be the first lesbian couple that had walked through the halls of Degrassi. Not to mention, the fact that people have become more and more accepting of the LGBTQ+ movement nowadays, so who knows, there may not even be repercussions for us. Maybe some guys will taunt us and mention something about how my girlfriend is very attractive, but that's okay because she is, and at the end of the day, I get to be the one whom she loves and makes love to." Grace replied as her cheeks sported a bright shade of crimson.

"Gosh I love you." Zoe replied her eyes pooling with water at the shear emotion she was feeling because she really did love Grace and could see herself potentially spending a lifetime by her side. Everything always felt okay when she was with her.

Losing all inhibition, Zoe reached up and with the palm of her hand cupped Grace's face whilst bringing her lips up to Grace's and kissing her sweetly.

"Woof Woof. Atta be girls. Keep kissing, this is sexy." Boys cheered nearby.

Exerted back to reality, both girls pulled away from one another and realized that people had been watching them. Never mind needing to tell people that they were a couple, by the end of the day everyone would know.

It was at this moment, that almost out of nowhere Tristan showed up and escorted both girls to an empty classroom.

"Hey, sorry about them. Honestly, don't let them bother you. I see that you have decided to officially come out now?" Tristan asked as he sat down in front of both girls which had quickly been seated upon having entered the vacant classroom.

"Oh my god. What have we done?" Zoe said, panic settling over her.

Unsure what to do, Grace reached for Zoe's hand as to comfort her but Zoe briskly pulled it away. While Grace knew, Zoe was just freaked out, this gesture had sent a painful ping to her heart.

Noticing the tension between the two Tristan decided to try and speak yet again, to see if he could not calm the duo. "Really ladies, its really not that bad. Yes, it will suck at first because people like to gossip but at least you have each other. When I was going through this, I was alone but look at me now, I've never been more comfortable in my own skin and people genuinely don't care that I like people of the same gender. Plus, women having sex with other women is usually better viewed than men having sex with other men…..which is quite the double standard though that is a topic for another day."

"Woah, woah, who said that we are having sex?" Zoe asked, looking towards Tristan incredulously.

"Out of all of what I just said you only heard me say sex? No one is saying that yet, for all they know you are simply a new couple or just two girls experimenting with each other. Though your facial expression says it all. You two have had sex, it's written all over your faces. So how was it? Have you sworn off the D because you now worship the V?" Tristan joked.

"Tristan can we not talk about this. This isn't the time. Also who calls it the D and the V. Yuck." Zoe replied.

"Well you did seem to worship my V." Grace whispered into Zoe's ear sending shivers down her spine.

"Babe, this isn't the time. We have a potentially massive crisis on our hands" Zoe replied, still somewhat taken aback by what the raven-haired girl had whispered in her ear.

"Babe? Wow Zoe, you do have it bad. You two are so cute together!" Tristan poked fun at the couple.


End file.
